Americans United - Steve Benenhttps://www.au.org/tags/steve-benen
enVoting For Jesus?: Candidates Seek To Outdo One Another With Religiosityhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voting-for-jesus-candidates-seek-to-outdo-one-another-with-religiosity
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Iowa caucuses -- now with even more religion! </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The Iowa caucuses are today, and, despite what you may have heard, Jesus Christ is not appearing on the ballot.</p><p>Several of his close friends are, though. As voting approaches, Republican candidates have been working hard to win endorsements from prominent conservative evangelicals by explaining just how much they plan to mix up religion and government if elected.</p><p>Here’s a round-up of recent activities of note:</p><p><em>Falwell endorses Trump: </em>U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was the first Republican to announce his candidacy. He did so in March of 2015 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. This led lots of observers (including me) to assume that Cruz had an in with Jerry Falwell Jr. and would win his endorsement. Nope. Last week, <a href="http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/jerry-falwell-jr-endorses-trump-for-president/article_e5050cfa-c44e-11e5-8671-4bc48d90e9db.html">Falwell issued a personal endorsement of Donald Trump</a>. Trump, I should note, is twice divorced, used to boast about being pro-choice on abortion and has never, until recently, had a tendency to discuss religion. He now holds himself out as Defender of the Faith and has asserted that if he is elected, you’re going to hear a lot more people saying <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/25/donald-trump-you-will-hear-merry-christmas-if-im-e/">“Merry Christmas.”</a> Many people think this is all an act, but he still got Falwell’s blessing.</p><p>Go figure.</p><p><em>Cruz says he’s a Christian first, an American second: </em>Not all conservative evangelicals are buying into Trump mania, and Cruz retains great popularity with this segment of the electorate. He has been wooing them steadily for more than a year. Cruz <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/ted-cruz-tells-reporters-im-201000179.html">recently remarked</a> during a visit to New Hampshire, “I’m a Christian first, American second, conservative third and Republican fourth. I’ll tell ya, there are a whole lot of people in this country that feel exactly the same way.”</p><p>As several commentators pointed out, Cruz and his supporters would probably not react well to a candidate who announced, “I am a Muslim first and an American second.”</p><p><em>Rubio spars with atheist: </em>During a recent town hall meeting in Waverly, Iowa, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/27/how-the-mainstream-media-missed-the-boat-on-marco-rubio-vs-an-atheist/">was challenged</a> by an atheist who said he was concerned over the candidate’s overt religiosity. Several reporters noted Rubio’s reply; he said his faith is “the single greatest influence in my life.” What happened next was not as well reported, if at all. Rubio’s campaign immediately issued a fundraising letter boasting about how he had stared down an atheist in public.</p><p>“I want to live in a country where Americans feel comfortable living out their faith, in private AND in public,” the appeal reads. “But we’ve seen from the attacks liberals will level – and the policies of the Obama Administration – that some on the left don’t agree. I’ve promised to voters everywhere I go: I will not be a president who will pit you against any other group of Americans, but I’m going to be honest about my values.”</p><p><em>The Washington Post</em> reported that Rubio’s last-minute strategy for Iowa is to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/marco-rubio-talks-to-iowa-about-god/2016/01/26/5f2abff2-c2fb-11e5-9693-933a4d31bcc8_story.html">talk about God</a> even more. Steve Benen, a former AU staffer who now blogs for the "Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC, <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-13016">noted</a> that <em>Time</em> recently asked Rubio why he hasn’t turned out to be the savior many in the GOP expected. Rubio replied, “Let me be clear about one thing: There’s only one savior and it’s not me. It’s Jesus Christ who came down to Earth and died for our sins.”</p><p><em>Huckabee and Santorum remain in the race; few care: </em>Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, won the Iowa caucuses in 2008. Rick Santorum, former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, won in 2012, just barely edging out Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. This year, no one really cares about Huckabee and Santorum, and their evangelical pals have deserted them. What happened? There is no <a href="http://davidgushee.religionnews.com/2016/01/06/evangelicals-carson-cruz-huckabee-santorum/">shortage of opinions</a> about that, but I think it boils down to pragmatism. Huckabee hasn’t held office since 2007, and Santorum lost his Senate seat in 2006 by a whopping 18 points. Both men are rapidly becoming evangelical versions of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/05/us/harold-e-stassen-who-sought-gop-nomination-for-president-9-times-dies-at-93.html?pagewanted=all">Harold Stassen</a>.</p><p><em>Sanders says he’s not involved with organized religion:</em> While most of the action has been on the Republican side of the aisle, one of the Democratic candidates did say something interesting about religion recently. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told <em>The Washington Post</em> that he is not “actively involved with organized religion” – an admission few candidates on the national stage ever make. Sanders, who was raised Jewish, said he believes in God and added, “I think everyone believes in God in their own ways. To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together.” (I know some atheists who would sharply disagree with that statement.)</p><p>Much of this focus on religion is due to the demographics of Iowa’s electorate. Something like 60 percent of Republican caucus attendees there are social conservatives. New Hampshire, which contains fewer of these folks, votes next on Feb. 9, so there might be a bit of let up in the God talk – but don’t expect it to last. South Carolina votes after that on Feb. 20, and I hear many voters there love them some of that old-time religion mixed with politics.</p><p>And remember, it’s still 10 months until November.</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-churches-and-politics">Other Issues regarding Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/iowa">Iowa</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/south-carolina">South Carolina</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-hampshire">New Hampshire</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ted-cruz">Ted Cruz</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bernie-sanders">Bernie Sanders</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rick-santorum">Rick Santorum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mike-huckabee">Mike Huckabee</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jerry-falwell-jr-0">Jerry Falwell Jr.</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steve-benen">Steve Benen</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/harold-stassen">Harold Stassen</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rachel-maddow">Rachel Maddow</a></span></div></div>Mon, 01 Feb 2016 15:19:33 +0000Rob Boston11698 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voting-for-jesus-candidates-seek-to-outdo-one-another-with-religiosity#commentsBook Report: Yes, Politicians, We Know You Love The Bible. What Else Have You Read?https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/book-report-yes-politicians-we-know-you-love-the-bible-what-else-have-you
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Please, members of the media, stop asking candidates to name their favorite book. It is meaningless because we know they’re going to say the Bible.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Real estate magnate Donald Trump says lots of outrageous stuff, but none of it seems to slow him down. His latest gaffe, however, ought to give some pause to his fans in the Religious Right.</p><p>Trump was asked by a reporter with Bloomberg News about his favorite book, which is allegedly the Bible. Asked to name his favorite verse from that tome, Trump stammered, “Well, I wouldn’t want to get into it because to me that’s very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible it’s very personal.”</p><p>The reporter, John Heilemann, then asked Trump which he prefers more, the Old Testament or the New Testament. Again Trump faltered, putting forth this gem: “Uh, probably equal. I think it’s just an incredible – the whole Bible is an incredible – I joke, very much so, they always hold up <em>The Art of the Deal</em>, I say it’s my second-favorite book of all time. But, uh, I just think the Bible is just something very special.” (<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trump-The-Deal-Donald-J/dp/0345479173">The Art of the Deal</a></em>, in case you’re not aware of it, is one of Trump’s own books.)</p><p>As Steve Benen of the Maddow Blog <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-82915">noted on Saturday</a>, at this point a few things seem likely: Trump hasn’t actually read the Bible. He can’t name a favorite passage because he doesn’t know any of them well enough. He might not even know the difference between the Old and New Testaments. (Free advice to Trump: In the future, just say John 3:16 is your favorite verse. The fundamentalists <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/19/sports/sp-crowe19">love that one</a>!)</p><p>Now, I’m not going to knock Trump too much for being biblically illiterate. Plenty of Americans <a href="http://www.religionnews.com/2013/04/04/poll-americans-love-the-bible-but-dont-read-it-much/">haven’t read the Bible</a>. Many people constantly sing its praises but are only dimly aware of what the book actually says. Even conservatives <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/biblical-illiteracy-in-us-at-crisis-point-says-bible-expert-121626/">admit this</a>.</p><p>Yet I am dismayed that we’ve come to the point in American politics where virtually any candidate, if asked to name his/her favorite book, immediately replies, “The Bible!” (Cue Hillary Clinton’s <a href="http://gawker.com/youll-never-guess-hillary-clintons-favorite-book-1591353415">recent admission</a>.) Politicians on autopilot say this even when they are clearly not familiar with the book. Like Trump, that sets them up for an embarrassing game of Gotcha! Remember when Howard Dean was asked to name his favorite book from the New Testament <a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2004/01/Long-Suffering-Job.aspx">and replied “Job”?</a></p><p>It’s tiresome. And unnecessary. Please, members of the media, stop asking candidates to name their favorite book. It is meaningless because we know they’re going to say the Bible.</p><p>It’s time to ask a better question: <em>Aside from the Bible, what is your favorite book?</em> Or maybe this: <em>What is your favorite work of fiction?</em></p><p>The latter question has the potential to tell us something useful. For example, if a politician can’t name even one novel that has informed his or her life, that’s a sign we’ve got a person on our hands who doesn’t read fiction. I realize that literature is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you hope to lead this nation, you would do well to be informed by real literature that presents thorny issues and complex moral dilemmas – you know, books that make you <em>think</em>. </p><p>Please don’t fall into the trap of thinking only out-of-touch eggheads read the Great Books. Sure, we all like a beach read every now and then, but anyone who aspires to lead the Free World should be able to meet the challenge of real literature. We’ve had anti-intellectual presidents before. How did that work out?</p><p>This question is highly relevant. If the answer you get is something like, “Oh, I just adore Ayn Rand’s <em>Atlas Shrugged</em>” that tells you something about how that person might govern. Or, a candidate who responds, “The works of Charles Dickens challenged me to think about the needs of the poor” is giving you useful information.</p><p>The follow-up questions should focus on non-fiction: Do you read history? What is your favorite work in this genre? What about biography? Have you read a basic treatise on economics? More importantly, <em>what have you learned from these books? </em></p><p>Unless it’s Jimmy Carter, who knows the Bible so well he <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/23/us/carter-sunday-school/">teaches Sunday School lessons</a> about it, I believe the country has heard enough talk from political leaders about how much they love the Good Book.</p><p>Sure, the Bible is your hands-down favorite. We’ll take that as a given. What else have you read lately?</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-churches-and-politics">Other Issues regarding Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hillary-clinton">Hillary Clinton</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/the-bible">the Bible</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/howard-dean">Howard Dean</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steve-benen">Steve Benen</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jimmy-carter">Jimmy Carter</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/maddow-blog">Maddow Blog</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-heilemann">John Heilemann</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/charles-dickens">Charles Dickens</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/atlas-shrugged">Atlas Shrugged</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ayn-rand">Ayn Rand</a></span></div></div>Mon, 31 Aug 2015 14:30:54 +0000Rob Boston11347 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/book-report-yes-politicians-we-know-you-love-the-bible-what-else-have-you#commentsTowey’s Hypocritical Hooey: Bush ‘Faith Czar’ Complains About Politicization Of White House Faith-Based Officehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/towey%E2%80%99s-hypocritical-hooey-bush-%E2%80%98faith-czar%E2%80%99-complains-about-politicization
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Under James Towey, the White House faith-based office was used to promote Republican candidates in tight House and Senate races. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>James Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush, had an opinion piece in <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> recently carping because President Barack Obama has used his administration’s “faith-based” offices to let Americans know about the new health-care law.</p>
<p>Towey says if he had politicized his office that way, Bush would have fired him.</p>
<p>Oh, now that is rich.</p>
<p>The fact is, Towey did politicize the faith-based office. There’s really no room for doubt about that. Under Towey, the faith-based office was used to promote Republican candidates in tight House and Senate races. Towey even appeared at several candidate events.</p>
<p>Steve Benen, a former writer for <em>Church &amp; State</em>, <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2002/10/faith-based-flim.html">outlined a pattern of partisan politicking</a> by Towey during the 2002 election season. Benen documented how Towey appeared alongside GOP incumbents or challengers in several states, often before African-American audiences. The clear implication was that federal “faith-based” money might dry up if Republicans were not put in office.</p>
<p>In one especially egregious example, Towey appeared by remote video hookup at a seminar on faith-based funding in New Orleans – during a time when Louisiana was the site of a hotly contested U.S. Senate race.</p>
<p>Benen reported that the seminar took on the trappings of a church service: “Two invocational prayers were offered to kick off the event, gospel choirs entertained attendees and some break-out sessions were halted when participants claimed to be receiving words from God.”</p>
<p>(AU’s research formed the basis for <a href="http://articles.sfgate.com/2002-09-15/news/17560421_1_faith-based-initiative-church-and-state-gop-candidates">a story</a> about Towey’s antics that appeared in <em>The Washington Post</em>.)</p>
<p>But you don’t have to take our word for it. In 2006, David Kuo, a former staffer in the faith-based office, penned a memoir about his experiences. Kuo wrote in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tempting-Faith-Inside-Political-Seduction/dp/0743287134/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1285947658&amp;sr=1-1"><em>Tempting</em> <em>Faith</em></a> that the White House openly sought to use the faith-based office to win votes for the GOP in 2002 and 2004.</p>
<p>Kuo <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2006/12/loss-of-faith.html">recalled attending</a> one particularly crucial meeting with Towey and Ken Mehlman, White House political director.</p>
<p>“We laid out a plan whereby we would hold ‘roundtable events’ for threatened incumbents with faith and community leaders,” Kuo wrote. “Our office would do the work, using the aura of our White House power to get a diverse group of faith and community leaders to a ‘nonpartisan’ event discussing how best to help poor people in their area. Though the Republican candidate would host the roundtable, it wouldn’t be a campaign event. The member of Congress was just taking time away from his or her campaign to serve the community. It would be the perfect event.”</p>
<p>That sounds a little political, doesn’t it?</p>
<p>Also, let’s not forget the famous words of John DiIulio, Bush’s first faith-based director. After overseeing the office for seven months, DiIulio departed, bitterly <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2003/01/reign-of-the-may.html">telling</a> <em>Esquire</em> magazine, “What you’ve got is everything – and I mean everything – being run by the political arm. It’s the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis.”</p>
<p>And here’s the kicker: What Obama is doing isn’t even remotely like Towey’s partisan stunts. Unlike Towey, the president is not using the faith-based office to shill for candidates. In fact, Obama<a href="http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=39DD0DF0-9E1F-9090-B5F51391A886587D"> simply asked religious leaders</a> and others to help spread the word about some new provisions of the health-care law that are kicking in right now. The faith-based office, which had those contacts, merely set up the call.</p>
<p>Towey’s<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704523604575511920142932674.html"> op-ed </a>is behind the <em>Journal</em>’s subscription wall, but if you Google “Jim Towey faith based” you might be able to see the whole thing. Trust me: It’s a pathetic attempt at revisionist history.</p>
<p>It won’t work. Towey is free to complain about the way Obama is handling the faith-based initiative. But it’s rather hypocritical of him to knock the president for allegedly politicizing the office when it was Towey who pioneered that strategy.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/david-kuo">David Kuo</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/faith-based-initiative">faith-based initiative</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/james-towey">James Towey</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-diiulio">John DiIulio</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/president-barack-obama">President Barack Obama</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steve-benen">Steve Benen</a></span></div></div>Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:07:25 +0000Rob Boston2119 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/towey%E2%80%99s-hypocritical-hooey-bush-%E2%80%98faith-czar%E2%80%99-complains-about-politicization#comments